In popular music groove, used in the sense of rhythm, is a term for metre and its embellishment by a rhythm section. Richard Middleton (1999) describes, "the concept of groove – a term now theorized by analysts but long familiar in musicians' own usage – marks an understanding of rhythmic patterning that underlies its role in producing the characteristic rhythmic 'feel' of a piece, a feel created by a repeating framework within which variation can then take place." Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ... For the popular Tamil film, see Rhythm (film) Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the accentuation of sounds or other events over time. ... Metre is the measurement of a musical line into measures of stressed and unstressed beats, indicated in Western notation by a symbol called a time signature. ... Rhythm section refers to the musicians whose primary jobs in a jazz or popular music band or ensemble is to establish the rhythm of a song or musical piece, often via repeated riffs or ostinati. ... Richard Middleton FBA is Professor of Music at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne. ... In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ...

"Groove", in terms of pattern sequencing, is also known as "shuffle" - where there is deviation from exact step positions.

Beyond this generality, the "groove" interpretation technique is widely attributed to James Brown's drummers Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks, traditional Jamaican Reggae and African music, and consists of an interpretation and a syncopation of a binary rhythm in soul music by the rhythm section, even though it has reached many other genres. This particular technique is very well explained and documented in a video from Mike Clark (drums) and Paul Jackson (bass). Link title James Joseph Brown, Jr. ... Clyde Stubblefield is a drummer best known for his work with James Brown. ... John Jabo Starks is an American funk and blues drummer. ... { Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... In music, syncopation is the stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or the failure to sound a tone on an accented beat. ... Mike Clark (October 3, 1946) is a jazz and funk drummer who is most noted for playing in the Headhunters band headed up by Herbie Hancock. ... Paul Jackson, Jr. ...

Sources

• Middleton, Richard (1999). Form. Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Malden, Massachusetts. ISBN 0-631-21263-9.

• Mike Clark and Paul Jackson - Rhythm Combination (1992)